Method of incasing edibles and the incased edibles



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,421

w. D. THOMPSON METHOD OF INCASING EDIBLES AND THE INCASED EDIBLES Filed NOV. 22. 1922 Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,684,421 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS D. THOMPSON, SFOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-FOURTH TO CALL H. CRAWFORD, OF

SPOKANE, WKSHDTGTON.

IETHOD OI INCASTNG EDIBLES AND THE INGASED EDIIBLES.

Application filed November 22, 1922. Serial No. 602,869;

The object of this invention is to provide an improved method of incasing edible bodies and affording removal of such casings for access to the contents thereof. The invention also relates to the incased edible as an article of manufacture.

In dipping a cold edible body into a quick setting and easing forming bath, as set forth in my pendin application filed October 30,

101922, Serial 0. 597,994; a dipping hook is f employed. It is customary to employ some kind of an instrument for supporting the cold body, and such implement not only perforates a portion of the bod but covers a small area, thereby preventing the casing from completely enclosing the same. Hence, by reason of the necessity of obtaining a hermetical casing, it has been the practice to touch the opening in the shell, formed by so the hook, with a portion of the bath, to seal the casin or shell, as the case may be. This not only involves extra labor, but requires a bath at a higher temperature than the dippin bath in order to get a bond where t e she is sealed. Even then there is no means for readily removing the shell. I

Now it is a. feature of my improved method whereby the edible body can be not only completely submerged, but also completely exposed to the casing forming bath throughout its area so that a subsequent sealing operation will be entirely avoided.

A further feature includes an improved method of weakening or shattering the set 85 casing to facilitate its removal by the consumer when the latter seeks access to the con- I tents.

This invention is particularl designed for incasing a cold edible bod by ipping it into 40 a hot casing forming bat and quickly withdrawing the body to permit the same to set, i and in connection with certain edibles, such as butter, it is a feature to first wrap the butter with a material-such for instance as paper, preferably a tough paraflined paper, and then di the initially wrapped body into the casing orming bath to form a casing enclosing the wrapped body. In this phaseof my invention, it is also a feature to employ a string in dipping the wrapped package and withdrawing the same from the casing forming bath, the string bonding with the casing so that the string will form a shattering means to facilitate removal of the casing by the consumer.

My improved invention, as an article of manufacture, also includes an edible body having a casing in which a string is incorporated or bonded, without the initial wrapping, as for instance in cases where ice cream forms the edible body.

My invention, as an article of manufacture, also includes an edible body first wra ped, and then dipped by a string support wit h the string incorporated with the casing.

Other features and objects will be more fullydescribed in connection with the accomanyingdrawing and will be more particuarly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawing Fig. 1, is a side view of an egg-shaped body of ice cream supported by a string and ready to be dipped. 7

Fig. 2, is the bath into which the body is about to be dipped.

Fig. 3, is an end view of said body. I b tFhig. 4, shows the body submerged into the a b Fig. 5, shows the body withdrawn from the a I Fig. 6, shows the body after the casing has set, with the string stressed to shatter the easlIl r Fig. 7, shows the casing subdivided by the string having been entirely removed, and a portion of the shell cracked for further re-' moval by the fingers.

Fig. 8, shows the u per entirely removed so that eaten.

Fig. 9, shows a small quarter of butter wrapped in paper.

Fig. 10, shows the same after being dipped.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

First referring to Figs. 1 to 8, 1 designates a cold edible body which may be ice cream, and about which isdisposed the bight of a string 2, to suspend said body. The ends 3 and 4 of the string 2, may be grasped between the fingers of the human dipper. Thus, it will be seen that the entire peripheral area of the body 1, is entirely exposed. Below, in Fig. 2, is shown a receptacle 5, suitably heated to the required temperature and containing a bath of quick settin casing forming hgilid 6. This bath may be composed of para and asphalt, or paraflin, asphalt and stearine, as no ortion of the shell e ice cream can be ation as shown, but not always.

set forth in my above named application, although this invention is not strictly limited to this particular composition of bath, which is however, the most advantageous formula I know of.

The body 1, is next submerged, as shown in Fig. 4, and the material of the bath completely envelops the body 1, including that portion of the string submerged, thereby avoiding the necessity of sealing any opening. This coated body is then withdrawn, as shown in Fig. 5, and it will be seen that the material covers the string, and preferably bonds the same so that only the tin-submerged ends 3 and 4, are exposed. In practice, this shell or casing 7, which sets almost instantly upon withdrawal, is black and about the thickness of an egg shell. The string I prefer to use, is the usual cotton string em loyed by retail stores in tying packages. owever, wherever I have herein used the word string, I have used it generically to cover anything of like character, even a wire. One reason why the ordinary cotton string is so advantageous, is that the asphalt and parafiin readily adhere to it, and consequently the string is incorporated or bonded with the casing, and

hence, when the string is pulled or stressed, it not only severs the casing in halves, but also weakens the casing so that the latter can be readily removed by the fingers. I greatly prefer not to cross the string 2, and in practice, one end 3, is slightly longer than the other end 4;"but when either end is pulled, the casing will be shattered as well as divided, and the strain will not break the string.

In Fig. 6, the end 3, has been pulled and the casing 7 is partly divided, as at 8. In Fig. 7 the string has been completely removed an the casing weakened by being sub-divided. Sometimes, the casing is cracked by this oper- However, by gently tapping the upper end 9, of the shell 7, it may be cracked so as greatly to facilitate removal. An important feature of the string 2, is that it first sub-divides the shell 7, so that when the upper or one end is tapped and cracked, the remaining end is intact to form a holder to rest in the fingers of the consumer. In Fig. 8, I have shown the upper half of the shell entirely removed.

It will thus be seen that the string performs two very important functions, namely, it provides a means whereby the entire periphery of the body 1 may be covered, without subsequent sealing, and it also afi'ords a ready means of getting the casing ofl from one part of the body.

In forming casing for butter, where the content of butter fat is high, I prefer, in case this particular bath is employed, to first wrap the butter in some form of material such for instance as paraflined paper 10. A part of the wrapper is shown broken away and the butter contents is indicated at 11. As usual,

the wrapper is folded on the ends, as indi- -cated at 12, and in order to prevent the ends from bulging, I extend the string 13 about the body so as to cause the string to extend abreast of the folded ends, as shown. I also find it quite necessary to have the butter at a low temperature. Thus, the cold edible body is supported by the string ends 15 and 14, and dipped into the hot bath in precisely the manner as above described, and when withdrawn, as in Fig. 10, the entire exterior area is enclosed in a very hard, brittle andhomogeneous casing 16 which is integral.

In removing the casing 10, one end of the string 13 is pulled, sub-dividing the casing in two parts. The paper is then accessible, and is sulficiently tough so that when peeled off, will crack and remove the weakened casing very readily.

This casing hermetically seals the contents, and in the case of butter, keeps the same from becoming rancid, and protects it for a long time against higher surroundng temperatures. y employing this invention, it is possible to pack butter for retail use without such expensive cartons as are now necessary. Further, when retail quantities are sold as low as a quarter of a pound, as is common, the resulting advantages of my invention will be obvious. Where one pound cartons are sold with four quarters packed in one carton, then the user can keep the remaining quarters in much better condition if the same are incased in accordance with my invention.

With, or without the wrapper, I consider it novel to employ a string in the manner set forth.

I do not wish to be limited hereto, except for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim I 1. The herein-described method of providing a perishable edible body with a hermetical casing and affording the consumer a way of shattering the set casing, which consists, in wrapping the bight of a string about a central portion of a cold edible body and holding the string ends in the fingers, in dipping the cold edible body in a hot casing forming bath whereby the bight of the string will bond with the casing when set, in withdrawing the casing enclosed edible body by the free string ends whereby the edible body will be completely incased without sealing or touching casing substantially mid-way of the latter, stressed by the consumer to shatter the set casing substantially mid-way of the latter, whereby the upper portion of the casing can be removed and the lower portion employed as a cup for holding the edible.

2. As an article of manufacture, an edible body, an integral casing enclosing said body and hermetically sealing the latter, and a subdividing string bonded to said casing and extending about the latter substantially midportion may ly subdividin the latter, whereby one casin removed and the other use as a rece tacle for the edible.

3. The erein described method of providing a perishable edible body with a hermetic casing which may be readily removed from the edible body, consistin in encircling the edible substantially centrally thereof with a string having its ends posltioned, whereby said ends may be grasped and the edible body supported solely thereby, completely submerging the edible body in a hot casing forming bath while supported by said string and withdrawing the edible body from the bath by the aid of the string, so that a casing is formed for the edible body and encircling portion of the strin which hermetically encloses the edible an bonds the string to the casing with the ends of the string left protruding from the casing, whereby the ends of the strin may be moved away from each other and t e casing shattered along a line encircling the same.

4. As an article of manufacture an edible bodv, a string encircling said body substantially central y thereof, with the ends of said string adjacent and free from each other, and an integral set casing completely and her metically enclosing said body with the encircling portion of the string embedded in and bonded to the casing and with the ends of the string protruding from the casing whereby said ends may be grasped and moved away from each other and the casing shattered along a line encircling the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby aflix m signature.

WILLIS THOMPSON. 

